A series of mysterious incidents continues. By a miracle, the hero survives a bloody slaughter and the savage cold of the foothills, returns to his friends, and begins a new life. But fate has its own plans—and it won’t let someone raised for battles lose their skills and experience. A chance travel companion will first cover his back in battle, then become his best friend. A chain of circumstances will push them toward a new, dangerous service. While one part of the citizens of Terratos lives in a celebration of progress and wallows in the power of money, the other—nursing a grudge—harbors plans for revolution. People are busy, but they still don’t feel the grave-cold and the smell of death. Terratos is rolling into oblivion, and the drums of war grow louder and louder…